


We Fell Again

by mugiwara_ya



Category: One Piece
Genre: Dorks in Love, F/F, F/M, High school crushes, M/M, Minor Background Relationships, Multi, Mutual Pining, Not Beta Read, Zoro has feelings, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:27:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27183802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mugiwara_ya/pseuds/mugiwara_ya
Summary: Law returns from studying abroad to the town and people he grew up with. He wasn’t expecting to be greeted with open arms especially after the way he left but the one reaction he feared was from his former kendo teammate and high school crush; Roronoa ZoroZoro was over him. He was sure of that. Had been sure of that. So why he was losing his ability to think whenever he caught a glimpse of or bumped into Law in their apparently smaller than he thought town, he didn’t know.(I can’t do summaries T-T)
Relationships: Franky/Nico Robin, Monkey D. Luffy/Usopp, Nami/Nefertari Vivi, Portgas D. Ace/Vinsmoke Sanji, Roronoa Zoro/Trafalgar D. Water Law, past Trafalgar D. Water Law/Basil Hawkins, past Trafalgar D. Water Law/Bonney
Comments: 16
Kudos: 53





	1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1: LAW**

* * *

  
Law usually spent whatever free time he had at home brushing up on his medical studies with a hot cup of coffee, or hanging out with the friends he had missed while studying abroad. The former had been his plan for Saturday but his most annoying neighbor, Luffy, had ruined that. Like he ruined all of his plans.

Why he was letting the younger man drag him towards a cafe, Law had no idea. It had always been that way since highschool. He’d get swept up in Luffy and his crew’s pace.

“Again, I ask, why couldn’t you bother your brothers instead? Or Sanji-ya? Literally anyone else?” Law asked, resigned to let Luffy drag him down the street.

“Because you’re boring and you never leave your house except for work and you’re boring!”

Law’s eyebrow twitched involuntarily and he had half a mind to stop and dig his heels. He realized quickly that that would’ve been childish and also, Luffy was stronger than he looked.

“If I’m so boring then why don’t you go find someone else?” He didn’t mean to snap but with the fact he hadn’t slept in a while, added to his long shifts at the hospital, he had little to no patience for Luffy, of all people.

The small ball of energy didn’t seem to care much about Law’s anger, didn’t even respond to it— _surprise_ —and pulled him into Bell-mère’s, the cafe that always smelled like tangerines.

Law sighed heavily breathing in the familiar scent, remembering the times the ASL brothers and Bepo would bring him to the homey cafe after classes or detention. The nostalgia hit him hard, reminding him that he was back around the most chaotic people he had ever had the displeasure of meeting. Then the moment passed and Luffy had pulled him towards a table with some of his crew.

“Is that Law?” Nami yelled, standing up with a grin on her round face. Her orange hair was longer, reaching below her waist. “Luffy told us you were back weeks ago! Why didn’t you say anything?” She was already pulling him down for a hug before he could protest. He felt extremely awkward with his face in her chest. Was she trying to suffocate him?

He waited for her to let him go before taking a deep breath. She grinned up at him innocently, like she hadn’t just tried to kill him. Next thing he knew she was pushing him into a chair beside Robin, then going back to her seat by Vivi, the blue-haired heiress.

Law glared at Luffy who had already abandoned him to sit on Usopp’s lap and devour the food on the table. Then he blinked, looking up at Usopp and swallowing down his surprise. The lanky liar wasn’t so lanky and weak looking anymore. Though going by the way he started sweating and avoiding Law’s gaze, he was still easily intimidated. It made him want to smile a little.

 _At least some things don’t change_.

“It’s good to see you, Torao.” Law turned to face Robin who was already gracing him with her all-knowing smile. She always made him uneasy when he had been a teenager but preferred her company to the mess that was the people around him. “Have you met up with anyone else? Everyone has missed you especially after so many years. I thought you had been murdered gruesomely.”

He tensed up, having the urge to run. Ignoring her morbid joke, he was getting the feeling that she was calling him out for his lack of contact. The ASL brothers were easy to deal with because they never prodded or asked questions, they waited for you to tell them. Law could handle them and it also helped that Sabo and himself were childhood friends. He didn’t need to explain his reasons to them. Shachi and Penguin were harder, especially when they found out he had only been contacting Bepo. They still weren’t talking to him.

And all of a sudden, everyone on the table except Luffy—Usopp, Nami, Vivi and Robin—were staring at him with different expressions. Usopp was chewing on his bottom lip, staring at Law’s tattooed hands which were a new addition to his look. Vivi’s eyebrows were furrowed like she was worried while Nami appeared to be angry. Robin just continued to smile.

“Yeah why didn’t you even call? Five fucking years, Trafalgar Law!” Nami snapped, her joy from seeing him all gone. He hoped his wince wasn’t obvious. “None of us knew what the fuck was going on with you and Bepo was being so vague. You just vanished. What happened?” Her voice had stopped raising when Vivi placed a gentle hand on top of her own, Nami’s freckled shoulders visibly relaxing.

Law didn’t answer, trying to find the explanations he had formed before but got nothing.

His mind, for one of the few moments in his existence, went blank. He didn’t have a good reason and that irritated him.

 _No_ , he thought to himself. _There’s a reason. You just can’t tell them and it’s not a good one too._

He let out a long sigh, closing his eyes for a moment and leaning back on his chair, collecting his thoughts. “Things got busy.” Nami scoffed but he continued. “It was harder than expected settling into Dressrosa, doing medicine and living with my uncle.” He scowled when he remembered Doflamingo.

Law flinched when Luffy suddenly turned to him, food forgotten which was alarming. The younger man stared at Law with wide eyes that looked like they were staring straight into his soul. He was terrified that Luffy would know he was lying but that couldn’t be because Luffy never was able to tell when he lied. Hell he wasn’t even able to tell when Law and Sabo were pulling a prank on him as kids and yet, that stare made him feel like everything was out in the open for Luffy to see.

Or Law was being dramatic.

Nami folded her arms over her chest and slumped in her seat, pouting. “You could’ve called, messaged us or even write like the old man I’m sure you secretly are. We thought you up and disappeared on us.”

Luffy’s smile returned and Law was barely able to hide his sigh of relief. “Yeah Torao! We missed you so~ much! We didn’t have anyone else to patch us up when things happened.”

“You mean when you and Zoro made things happen you idiot!” Nami yelled, lightly smacking the back of Luffy’s head and nearly hitting Usopp’s long nose in the process.

“Oi! Watch it Nami!” Usopp yelled while Luffy laughed like they were the funniest comedy duo on the planet.

“I swear you and Zoro are the most frustrating combo on earth,” she continued, ignoring her best friend’s glare.

Law pursed his lips and wound his fingers together, feeling stupid for his body’s reaction to just hearing the man’s name. It had been five years. His feelings for his former teammate should’ve gone and he thought they had. Moving back home and getting startled whenever he saw a specific shade of green had told him otherwise.

“Remember when they beat up that rich blonde kid right after they met?” Usopp said, snickering to himself as he held his cup of coffee, one arm around Luffy’s waist as they both laughed.

“Hippo! He was so funny,” Luffy laughed as he took the sandwich Robin offered him.

“It was Helmeppo and don’t laugh! You and Zoro nearly got thrown in prison!” Nami almost screeched. She sighed and slumped in her seat in defeat when Luffy’s response was to laugh again.

Despite himself, Law felt his lips twitching upwards then tilted his hat to hide it. He was glad the conversation had shifted away from him and found the group’s banter oddly comforting.

“Oh Luffy. Sanji said they’re on their way,” Robin said and Law’s smile fell into a curious frown.

Sanji and himself got along though he wouldn’t say they were close and the blonde made the best grilled fish he’d ever had. He had already bumped into him when Sanji was bringing food over for the ASL brothers but they hadn’t really said a word. The blonde just glared and walked past him, not even letting Law greet him. He hoped that glare wasn’t hinting to the man being angry with Law. Sanji’s anger was explosive.

He couldn’t think of why it’d be anger. Sanji was cordial with him before he moved but that was it. Acquaintances at best, so him being angry that he moved without telling anyone didn’t make sense.  
_Maybe it’s for making Nami angry_ , he thought as he called over one of the waitresses and ordered a cold brew.

Luffy laughed yet again and asked, “Did Zoro get lost again?”

Law froze and remembered that Robin had said _they_ were on their way. That meant Sanji wasn’t alone. That meant _he_ could be coming.

He slowly stood up, hoping his panic wasn’t showing and using every shred of consciousness he had to school his expressions.

“Thank you for having me and I am sorry for not staying in contact. I have to go.”

“What? No way! You just got here!” Luffy stood up quickly from Usopp’s lap and slammed his hands on the table, shaking the cups and plates. “You ordered too and you promised!”

Law’s eyebrow twitched. “I did not promise anything. You literally pulled me off my couch and dragged me here. Cancel the order. We can catch up some other time, I have work tomorrow and—”

“Nami-swan!~ Robin-chwan!~ Vivi-swan!~”

Law hung his head low and sighed. His escape plan was foiled and Robin’s knowing laugh only grew his frustration. Sanji didn’t spare him a second glance, rushing to the women with hearts in his eyes and poems already falling from his lips. Another thing that hadn’t changed.

“You’ve gotten taller.”

That fucking voice.

It was lower than he remembered and the richness of it seemed to have pronounced. It was right behind him and Law was thinking of never turning around. He would simply live on that spot for the rest of his pain in the ass of a life.

“He’s also gotten so many tattoos!” Usopp exclaimed like it was the coolest thing in the world. “Death though? I get the edgy look is your thing but that’s doing too much.”

 _Shut up before I push your nose into your skull_ , was what Law hoped he said with the look he gave Usopp and going by the way he instantly cowered, the message was received.

“Oh?” _that_ voice spoke again, stretching out the sound. It sounded so calm while he was seconds away from ripping out his treacherous heart. “Didn’t think you’d actually get them, Torao.”

He turned around at that, instinctively geared to tell him not to use that stupid nickname, but words got stuck in his throat.

Roronoa Zoro had changed.

His chest was broader and bigger, his arms thicker and the baby fat that had been on his cheeks and jaw back in high school had turned into sharp edges that could cut steel. He only had one eye now and Law’s hands twitched in the pockets of his hoodie to trace the vertical scar that ran through the lid of the missing eye and the usual small smile was replaced by a scowl. The man he spent most of his teen years crushing on, being in love with, had changed.

He still had the soft-looking grass green hair that Law always wanted to run his fingers through and the three gold earrings dangling from his ear. He still had a habit of revealing his chest to the world if the deep plunge of his tank top was anything to go by. There were small things about him that Law could remember but Zoro had changed.

“Hey.” Law did not plan to speak nor did he like how breathless he sounded.

“Hey,” Zoro said back, his steel, dark eyes boring into Law’s honey brown ones, keeping him in place.

Law felt like he was trapped and waiting for Zoro to attack. He was horrified by the part of him that wanted him to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! This is my first fic and it’s a bit of a rare pair/not-really-rare. I hope you enjoy it! I go by they/he, just to let you know.


	2. Chapter 1.5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Sorry for being gone for so long. Busy with college stuff but just started winter break so yay! This is when they first met and I’m using Irish education levels here so Law is in 3rd year while Zoro’s in 2nd year. Also it isn’t beta read at all so this is the story as raw as can be. Sorry 💀
> 
> Numbers with .5 mean flashback chapters.

**CHAPTER 1.5: LAW**

* * *

He sat on the window seal of the small room, the necktie of his school uniform undone. Law could already hear Cora’s complaints about messing up the new uniform he had spent hours getting ready the night before.

Law wasn’t sure who was more nervous about him going back to outside school between the two of them. Though he wouldn’t outright admit to being nervous or agitated, he was. His only contact with kids his age were his cousins and the ASL brothers he’d met through the orphanage so the fact he was going to have to interact with new people was making him a tad uneasy. He couldn’t plan his actions without knowing what they were like at this school so he felt like he had thrown himself into a battlefield without a single strategy and it had all been his idea. And it really was his idea. His stupid idea that he couldn’t stop thinking about since that monkey-brained idiot known as Luffy had put it in his head.

 _“Why are you still in home school even though your disease thingy is cured?”_ Because why was he still in home school? Thanks to Cora-san, Law was able to get treatment his birth family had been unable to. He didn’t have a reason to be shut from everyone so why was he?

He hated that about Luffy, the Strawhat’s ability to just see these things and blurt it out. Next thing Law knew he was telling Cora he wanted to go to school and was too stubborn to say he changed his mind because that was cowardly, wasn’t it? That would be admitting he was scared. Which he wasn’t. Law doesn’t get scared. No. Not scared at all. Not nervous either. The fact his leg was jumping up and down repeatedly as he waited for the damn students that was going to show him around was not because he was nervous. He was impatient. Yeah, that. Impatient. Although that didn’t explain his rapid heartbeat.

He jumped in his seat on the window seal when the door in front of him slammed open and shut, and he turned to glare at whoever had rushed in and nearly made his heart escape his body.

He wasn’t scared.

There was a student there panting and peeking through the glass window on the door, hiding most of his slim body with the wooden part of the door. Their hair a grassy green color, almost like moss, with three gold earrings dangling from one ear, and their uniform shirt untucked and wrinkled. They were more of a mess than Law was. 

“Fuck I thought I lost him!” the green haired student muttered before finally turning around, tilting their head to the side with an angular brow raised as they looked at Law. “You’re new,” they said, voice crackly and hoarse. “Don’t tell that old man anything or you’re a snitch.”

Before Law could respond, the kid rushed to the lockers at the back of the waiting room, passing the row of seats in front of the window Law was on, and forcing themselves to fit, shutting the door quietly.

He was unbelievably confused and stared at the lockers hiding the weird kid before turning to the entrance again to see an older person enter, panting like the kid had been.

“Oh my god I’m not as young as I used to be,” the person in a purple suit said, hands on their bony knees. They looked like they were seconds away from passing out and Law just silently watched, still too confused to say or do anything.

The older, skeletal man with an afro stood straight, hands on his hips as he steadied himself. He had several splotches of red and green paint on the front of his clothes, some even on his round tinted glasses and staining his brown cheeks.

“Oh hello there,” the older person said with a tilt of their top hat, hanging the cane they had been gripping over their elbow. It was like they had jumped out of one of Sengoku’s old-timey movies. “You must be the new student Mr. Sengoku had told the staff about. I’m Brook, the music teacher. Did you happen to see a green haired boy pass by? About this high, troublemaker written all over him?” They let out an odd laugh that had started somewhat like a stereotypical cartoony sailor’s shanty.

“...No. Nobody like that,” Law said slowly, forcing himself not to smirk or glance at the locker.

“Those two are going to make me age even faster. I can feel it in my bones. Ah but that’s cause I’m all bones.” They let out their odd laugh. It was almost musical in a way.

“Could you show me around the building, Bone-ya?” Law asked, picking up the backpack he had left on one of the chairs. “I’ve been waiting here for a while and I don’t want to miss any more classes. Already missed a whole week.”

“Oh but Ikkaku should be on her way to—”

“I’m sure she would be and it can be explained that you helped me out,” Law said, walking up to the music teacher with hands in the pockets of his slacks. “I’m eager to start classes, y’know.”

“Well that’s a breath of fresh air,” Brook said, laughing and putting a hand on Law’s shoulder to guide him out of the waiting room. “I will need to send someone to find Zoro though. We can’t have him getting lost again.”

_Zoro...Do I know a Zoro? It sounds familiar._

Law looked over his shoulder at the locker before they left the room, seeing the kid peeking through its door. He smirked and held up two fingers in a peace sign at them before the teacher shut the door behind after they left.

He hadn’t realized he wasn’t feeling nervous anymore. 


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so incredibly sorry about this irregular updating but college really is kicking me in the butt. I like this chapter though can’t stop feeling that it’s too short. Please do let me know what you think in the comments though I love hearing people’s thoughts on my writing and what they’d expect. Thank you so much for reading this.

**CHAPTER 2: ZORO**

* * *

This was a stupid idea. He shouldn’t have offered to do this. He should’ve stayed on Ace’s couch with his beer and let someone else get Law out of his cave.

_ I’m not even remotely drunk enough for this,  _ he thought as he scratched the back of his neck with one hand and knocked on Law’s door with the other.

He heard the sound of a small crash and Law cursing, his lips twitching upwards as the memory of the other man falling from a desk chair played in his head. Zoro had random memories of Law play through his mind ever since the older man had left, more so around the first year after he did. It had decreased somewhat as the years went by and Zoro slowly got over him. Trafalgar coming back seemed to have brought it all back with him.

He scowled as he put his hands in the pockets of his jacket, staring down at his bare feet. It had been three days since they’d bumped into each other at Bell-mere’s and they’d not seen each other since Law had practically ran out of there after seeing him. Zoro was fine with that. He was. Honest.

He clicked his tongue and sneered down at his feet.

“I wonder what you’re thinking of right now.”

He flinched, raising his head to see Law in front of him, back on the side of the doorway. Shirtless.

Zoro’s eyes looked down before he could stop them, then he quickly looked back up, annoyed with himself when Law rose an eyebrow. Of course he caught him.

“They told me to come get you,” Zoro said, not breaking eye contact even though he really wanted to see the tattoos he’d only caught a glimpse of. It seemed his former teammate had gotten a lot of work done. “Your welcome party and all.”

“I told Luffy repeatedly I didn’t need a party,” Law said slowly under his breath before yawning, the usual fire of annoyance at Luffy not present. He looked sleepy, the usual dark circles under his eyes appearing more pronounced. He’d always had them due to insomnia but never that dark.

“You know Luffy,” Zoro said as a fond smile spread across his face. “He just does what he wants.” His best friend made it easy for him to smile.

Law didn’t say anything for a while, just folded his arms and stared at Zoro while blinking slowly. He could hear the sounds of the party in the hallway, Luffy’s laughter being the loudest part of it. 

He was about to tell Law to get dressed so that they can go before Luffy barges in but stopped when he smelled a familiar pine-skunky smell.

“Are you high?”

“So observant,” Law said while smirking. “Not the best strain but best I could get on short notice. Wanna smoke?”

“Torao. Party.”

Law grimaced, scratching the back of his neck and looking away. “Right, right. Well can’t go. Busy.”

_He was trying to get me to forget like I’m_ _the fucking idiot here_. 

Zoro frowned. “Look if me being there’s the issue—”

“Why would it be an issue?” Law asked, the airiness leaving his voice as he stared directly at Zoro. He was testing Zoro, looking for something and the green-head was not mentally awake enough for one of Law’s little tests.

“Cut the crap, Trafalgar,” he said with a roll of his eyes. “Soon as you catch a glimpse of me you practically run away. I saw you on Monday by the way.”

The taller man had the decency to look somewhat embarrassed by the fact he ran back into his apartment and slammed his door when Zoro entered the hallway on Monday. It would’ve been funny if it wasn’t so annoying.

“So again, if me being there’s the issue I can come up with an excuse to leave. I see them everyday and you haven’t for years so it’s not a big deal,” Zoro said, already tired of talking so much. 

Law stares at him in silence, his stare still intense despite how somewhat dilated his pupils were. Zoro was getting impatient because Luffy was definitely going to rush out any minute now.

“You’re still a horrible liar, Roronoa-ya,” Law said with a small smile and Zoro felt his cheeks warm a little. Whether it was from the smile or the fact that he was caught in his lie, he didn’t know.

“Alright, fine, your little runaway shit is annoying me but it’s whatever. I never pegged you for a coward and if we have a problem I’d prefer if we tackled it head on. Stop making me talk so much too, it’s exhausting.”

Law huffed out a short laugh, nodding as he did so. Zoro let out a breath, glad he could agree at least though confused by the laughing. 

“What’s so funny?”

Law shook his head then looked down at his feet though his eyes appeared to be gazing at something else that was far away. “I don’t know. I’m just glad that some things didn’t change.”

That only confused Zoro more and instead of asking what that meant and growing more confused, he didn’t respond. He just stood there, waiting for the taller man to get out and go to his stupid party and get the whole night over with so Zoro could go home, sleep and not think about tattooed brown skin.

“I still can’t go. I have a shift tomorrow morning and am working on an assignment right now. I want to, but I can’t.”

Zoro’s eye widened a bit at Law’s admission that he wants to go to Luffy’s party then he remembered how honest Law was when he was high. “You can’t take a break? Leave early if you’ve got to. You look like death.”

At that, Law let out a louder though still soft laugh and Zoro couldn’t excuse the way it made his insides churn. He hadn’t heard that laugh in so long. He wondered if he was still one of the few people that had heard it.

_ Now why the fuck does that matter?  _

“Thanks, I get that a lot. I’m starting to think you want me there,” Law said, shifting his weight to the other leg. 

“I do.”

Zoro got a sick thrill from watching the oh so cool and aloof Trafalgar choke on air at his words. “Everything aside, you’re still our—my friend. I did…miss you, I guess.” His own embarrassment at his words was getting to him. Zoro had to look away as he scratched his cheek, sure he was blushing.

“Alright.” Zoro turned back to see Law re-entering his apartment.

“Alright?” Zoro asked, an eyebrow raised.

“Alright.” Law simply repeated, stopping at the end of his apartment’s hallway to look back at Zoro. “I will leave early. I definitely can’t party the way you and your crew do anymore.”

Zoro grinned. “You’re sounding more and more like an old man, Torao.” His grin widened when he received an exasperated groan as a response to his comment.

“Zoro-ya.”

His grin fell as he stared at Law who now completely had his back facing Zoro, displaying his back tattoos and tense shoulders. Law didn’t use his first name often when they were younger. The older man seemed almost embarrassed to. It made Zoro…giddy whenever he did but that was years ago and hearing his name in Law’s voice after so long shocked him to some degree. Made him suck in a deep breath.

“For what it’s worth…I missed you too.”


End file.
